Bedfordshire and its Dragonflies
The County of Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire and its dragonflies and damselflies are closely tied to the county’s network of rivers, streams, and lakes. Although one of the UK’s smaller counties, situated in the south‑east of England, its varied habitats are exceptionally well suited to Odonata. As a result, Bedfordshire supports a rich mix of species, including several local rarities.
Dragonflies and damselflies are creatures whose entire existence revolves around reproduction. Their life cycle is inseparable from water. Eggs are laid in or near water, and the larvae spend most of their lives as aquatic predators before emerging to take to the air, breed, and begin the cycle again.
Bedfordshire’s waters
The most significant watercourse in the county is the River Great Ouse, which crosses the northern landscape, entering at Turvey in the west and leaving near Wyboston in the east. To the south‑east, the Rivers Ivel and Flit flow northwards before joining the Great Ouse near Sandy. The River Lea also rises in Bedfordshire, meandering south‑east before eventually becoming a tributary of the Thames.
Bedfordshire contains many lakes, all of them man‑made. The county’s long history as a centre of brickmaking has left numerous former clay pits – particularly in the Marston Vale between Kempston Hardwick and Brogborough – which have since flooded to form lakes. Further north, many lakes originated as gravel pits, some dating back to the Second World War when gravel was needed for airfield construction.
While many of these lakes are now used for leisure, others have been designated as nature reserves. They provide excellent habitat for Odonata where emergent vegetation allows larvae to climb out of the water, and where surrounding habitats support abundant insect life for adults to feed on.
Overall, Bedfordshire’s waters are generally of good quality and support around 30 breeding species of dragonflies and damselflies.
VC30 Bedfordshire
The map of Bedfordshire shown below, along with the distribution maps on the species pages, follows the Watsonian vice‑county boundary 30, established in 1852.
These static vice‑county boundaries remain widely used in biological recording because they allow long‑term comparison of data, unaffected by changes to administrative county borders.
More information on British vice‑counties is available from the Biological Records Centre, and on Wikipedia.
Bedfordshire’s Dragonflies
Several sites in Bedfordshire are particularly important for Odonata:
The county’s Odonata fauna continues to change over time. As conservation interest grows, more sites – such as those within the Forest of Marston Vale – are being restored or created, which is encouraging news for wildlife enthusiasts. Many other valuable sites exist across the county; I’d love to hear which ones you consider your favourites.
The Checklist
Checklists provide a useful snapshot of species known to breed or likely to be seen in an area, but they are fluid and can change quickly.
Some species have small, fragile populations and may go unrecorded for years. The Scarce Blue‑tailed Damselfly (Ischnura pumilio) disappeared for two decades after the loss of its habitat at Sundon Chalk Quarry, but has been recorded there again.
Other species have expanded their ranges and are now well established in Bedfordshire. Willow Emerald Damselfly (Chalcolestes viridis) is widespread, and Variable Damselfly (Coenagrion pulchellum) is confirmed as a breeding species. Norfolk Hawker (Aeshna isoceles) is also establishing itself and can now be found at several sites. More recently, Southern Migrant Hawker (Aeshna affinis) and Lesser Emperor (Anax parthenope) have been recorded in increasing numbers.
Below are links to the dragonflies and damselflies most likely to be encountered within Bedfordshire. Additional species will be added over time, and occasional migrants will be included as they appear.